Composite indicia plates



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Oct. 11, 1960 Filed June 9, 1958 A. J. BRUNNER COMPOSITE INDICIA PLATES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 11 1960 A. J. BRUNNER 2,955,371

COMPOSITE INDICIA PLATES Filed June 9, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A? I I 3/ 2,955,371 COMPOSITE INDICI'A PLATES Anton J. Brunn er, Brookfield, Ill., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 9, 1958, Ser. No. 740,711

7 Claims. (Cl. 40-336) ments resides in embedding plastic indicia of one color into a plate of a second contrasting color. Where the plastic used to fabricate the indicia and the plate is of a thermosetting variety to provide good wear-resistant characteristics, it is necessary to provide some means to positively interlock the indicia within the plate. When thermosetting plastics are utilized, a strong interlock is not readily attainable because the plastic is not readily bondable by the application of heat or chemical bonding agents.

It is a prime object of this invention to provide a new and simple composite indicia presenting article wherein the indicia is interlocked within the body of the aritcle.

A further object of this invention resides in a backing plate having indicia extending therefrom to be interlocked with a front plate that leaves the tops of the indicia exposed.

A further object of the invention resides in an indicia bearing article having an indicia bearing backing plate of one color and an overlying front plate of a contrasting color.

A still further object of the invention resides in a composite article having portions thereof interlocked by means of various arrangements of beveled surfaces projecting from or into each portion.

. -With these and other objects in view, the present invention'contemplates a plastic backing plate of one color having indicia elements spaced therefrom or connected thereto by means of a series of spaced connecting legs or struts and a contrasting colored plastic positioned over the backing plate and through the struts to form a front plate that is interlocked with the backing plate. A plurality of angularly disposed surfaces are also formed on the backing plate over which the plastic of the front plate is positioned to provide further interlocks between the two plates.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein p r Fig. 1 is a sectional view of one half of a set of dies for molding an indicia bearing plate in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

a Fig. 2 is a sectional view of one-half of a second set of dies for molding a second plate in interlocking relationship with the first plate;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the letter O molded on the first plate;

Fig. 4 illustrates a composite telephone dial number plate molded in the sets of dies shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Patented Oct. 11, 1960 ice Fig. 5 is a sectional view of one-half of a modified composite interlocked telephone dial number plate; I

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of one-half of another modified composite telephone dial number plate, and I Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 77 of Fig. 3 illustrating the position of the indicia relative to the backing plate.

Referring to Figs. 1-4, there is illustrated a method of molding a composite telephone dial number plate 10 comprising a first pre-molded backing plate 11 and a subsequently molded second or front plate 12. The plates 11 and 12 are molded from suitable thermosetting or thermoplastic materials and each is of a contrasting color. In Fig. 1, there is shown a plastic casting mold comprising an upper die 13 having an entrance orifice 14 for receiving plastic material that may be injected or otherwise forced therethrough. Mating with the upper die 13 is a second die 16 to provide a molding cavity 15 for the formation of the first plate \11.

The sectional view of the mold illustrated in Fig. 1 represents only one-half of the molded die, the other half being substantially identical. The molding cavity formed between the dies 13 and 16 is of such configuration that the plate 11 is molded as an inclined apertured disc having a circumferential flange or rim 17. A second flange 18 is formed to radially extend from the upper portion of the circumferential flange 17. The upper die 13 is provided with two series of frustoconical projections 19, only one in each series beingshown in Fig. 1. These projections serve to form frustoconical recesses 21 in the plate 11. The die 16 is provided with a series of frustoconical recesses 22 to form projections 23 on the plate 11. In addition, the die 16 is provided with an annular recess 24 to form an inclined annular lip 26 on the plate 11.

The die 16 is also provided with a series of recesses formed in suitable configurations to represent various indicia. In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the indicia element 25 shown as being formed on the plate 11 is the letter O. The die 16 is provided with an O-shaped recess 27 and the die 13 is provided with a projecting portion 28 that has slots or channels formed therein to communicate the recess 27 with the main portion of the cavity 15 formed between the dies 13 and 16. When the plastic is flowed between the dies 13 and 16, the plastic iiows into the recess 27 to form the indicia element 25 connected to the plate 11 by a series of inclined struts 29.

Recesses of suitable shape representing other letters and numbers are spaced along the upper face of the die 16. Wherever a letter or number has an enclosed section or segment, the indicia forming recess is co'nnected to the main portion of the molding cavity 15 by a series of angularly disposed channels so that the plastic flows to provide indicia elements spaced from the face of the plate 11 but connected thereto by means of a series of spaced struts or legs. In situations where there are no enclosed segments such as in the case of letters C, E, F, H, etc., the indicia element is formed merely by providing suitably shaped recesses in the plate 16.

Following molding of the plate 11, the plate is mounted within a cavity 30 formed between a second set of molding dies 31 and 32. The molding die 31 is provided with an orifice 33 for receiving plastic material which flows therethrough into the cavity 30 to form the second plate 12 in overlying relationship to the plate 11. The plastic material flows within the reverse frustoconical recesses 21 to securely lock the plates together; In addition, the plastic material flows into the aperture formed behind the indicia element 25, the indicia 25 being connected to the plate 11 by the series of spaced inclined legs or struts 29. It will be noted that the sides of the indicia element 25 are tapered; consequently, the plastic of the second plate 12 embeds the indicia therein. The

tops of the indicia 25 and the projections 23 abut the bottom of the molding cavity; consequently, when the composite telephone dial is removed from the dies 31 and 32, the top surfaces of the indicia elements 25 and: the projections 23 are exposed. The plastic material selected for the plate 11 is of a contrasting color with respect to the plastic material selected for the molding of the plate 12; consequently, both the indicia 25 and the tops of the projections 23 are readily discernible. A typical telephone dial number plate molded in accordance with the aforedescribed method and apparatus is illustrated in Fig. 4.

Referring to Fig. 5, there is shown a modified composite telephone dial number plate wherein the backing plate 11 is interlocked at its inner and outer peripheral edges with the plate 12. This is accomplished by forming circumferential inclined surfaces 41 and 42 on the plate 11. The plate 12 now has formed thereon a circumferential flange or rim 43 and a radially extending flange 44. In this instance the plate 11 is completely embedded within the plate 12.

Another method of interlocking the plate 11 with the plate -12 is illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein the backing plate 11 is provided with an annular flange or rim 46 that is embedded in a circumferential flange or rim 47 extending from the front or second plate 12. In both Figs. 5 and 6, the plate 11 is made of White plastic material whereas the second plate 12 is made of black plastic material. In both instances the only visible White portions will be the indicia elements and the tops of the projections 23. In Figs. 1 and 2, the plate 11 is made of white material and the plate 12 is made of black material, and, in this instance, the white flanges 17 and 18 will be visible upon looking at the front of the telephone dial number plate.

It will be understood that the above-described methods and arrangements of apparatus and construction of elemental parts are simply illustrative of an application of the principles of the invention and many other modifications may be made without departing from the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A composite plastic article, comprising a plastic backing plate having indicia elements spaced from the front surface thereof, each indicia element being integrally connected to the backing plates by a series of spaced struts, said backing plate having a series of frustoconical recesses formed therein, and an overlay plate positioned on the front face of said backing plate and having frustoconical projections extending into the recesses formed in the backing plate, said overlay plate having recesses formed therein to receive and expose the indicia elements.

2. A telephone dial number plate, comprising an apertured disc-like backing plate having indicia elements representing letters and numbers extending from the front face thereof, said indicia elements being connected to the backing plate by struts, the struts associated with the letters and numbers having enclosed segments being spaced apart, and an overlay plate molded on the backing plate having recesses formed therein to accommodate and expose the indicia elements, said overlay plate being molded to extend between the spaced struts to lock said plates together.

3. A composite telephonedial number plate, comprising a disc-like backing plate having frustoconical recesses formed therein, the tops of said frustoco'nical recesses extending to the front face of said backing plate, indicia elements projecting from the front face of said backing plate, spaced strut-like portions of the backing plate supporting the indicia elements having enclosed sections, an overlay plate molded on the front face of said backing plate and having frustoconical projections extending into the frustoconical recesses formed in the backing plate, said overlay plate having portions thereof extending between the strut-like portions of the backing plate to lock the backing and overlay plates together.

4. A composite telephone dial number plate, comprising an aperturcd disc-like backing plate having indicia elements representing letters and numbers extending from the front face thereof, said indicia elements being connected to the backing plate by struts, the struts associated with the letters and numbers having enclosed segments being spaced apart, said backing plate having edges beveled inwardly from the front face, an overlay plate molded on the backing plate having recesses formed therein to accommodate and expo'se the indicia elements, said overlay plate being molded to extend between the spaced struts and around the beveled edges of the backing plate to lock said plates together.

5. A composite telephone dial number plate, comprising a disc-like backing plate having frustoconical recesses extending to the front face of said backing plate, indicia elements projecting from the from face of said backing plate, spaced strut-like portions of the backing plate supporting the indicia elements having enclosed sections, said backing plate having beveled edges forming acute angles with the front face of said backing plate, an overlay plate molded on the front face of said backing plate and having frustoconical projections extending into the frustoconical recesses formed in the backing plate, said overlay plate having portions thereof extending between the strut-like portions of the backing plate and around the beveled edges to lock the backing and overlay plates together.

6. A telephone dial number plate, comprising an apertured disc-like backing plate having indicia elements representing letters and numbers extending from the front face thereof, said indicia elements being connected by struts, the struts associated with the letters and numbers having enclosed segments being spaced apart, a circumferential flange formed on the backing plate, and an overlay plate molded on the backing plate having recesses formed therein to accommodate and expose the indicia elements, said overlay plate being molded to extend between the spaced struts and around the rim of said circumferential flange to lock said plates together.

7. A composite telephone dial number plate which comprises a disc-like plastic backing plate having reverse fnistoconical recesses formed therein, indicia elements projecting from the front face of said backing plate, spaced strut-like portions of the backing plate supporting the indicia elements having enclosed sections, and overlay plate molded on the front face of said backing plate and having reverse ifrustoconica'l projections extending into the reverse frustoconical recesses formed in the backing plate, said overlay plate having portions thereof extending between the strut-like portions of the backing plate to lock the backing and overlay plates together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gits et al Sept. 16, 1958 

